For the Brazilian national team, it was "mission accomplished" - but it certainly did not come as easily as they, or the entire country, might have hoped. A glorious afternoon in São Paulo kicked-off the 2014 FIFA World Cup with J-Lo, walking trees, dissension for the Brazilian President, familiar refereeing controversies and some very nervy moments for the home side.
You asked for it, here it is. Based on the popularity of goal replays from other matches, The18 is launching a collection of the best goals of World Cup 2014. These are the best goals (in our estimation) of the group stage that happened on each match day. So, even if you don't have time to catch every match, you can rest easy that you've got the replays here to join in every conversation that begins, "Did you see that goal...!" Yes. Yes you did. Don't worry we'll have our favorite knock out stage goals as well.
Talk about a wild beginning to World Cup 2014. The opening match between Brazil and Croatia saw ups and downs for both teams – from Marcelo's nightmarish own-goal in the opening minutes, to a questionable (OK, let's be honest, terrible) call that led to a penalty kick that Neymar took full advantage of to score, putting Brazil in the lead.
Well…this might be awkward. Former U.S. Men’s National Team star Landon Donovan joined ESPN’s studio analyst team at the 2014 World Cup, and will contribute from ESPN’s studio in Los Angeles during the month-long tournament. However, it looks like Landon has already moved on and is ready to work during the World Cup:
Need to brush up on your USA chants before the World Cup? Ever wonder what it is the "American Outlaws" are chanting from the sidelines of international friendlies? Here are some of the main chants that you need to know going into Brazil. They’re all easy to memorize, so don’t worry.
“We Love Ya”
We love ya, we love ya, we love ya
where you go we’ll follow
we’ll follow, we’ll follow
With the World Cup less than 24-hours away, there are still people (mostly, if not all, American) who just refuse to get into the World Cup.
The USMNT's second match of the group stage pits it against European power Portugal on June 22nd. Portugal opens the World Cup against tournament-favorite Germany, so depending on the results of that match Portugal could be in a must-win situation against the United States. The United States and Portugal famously met in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup. Portugal entered that year as a favorite to win it all, but the United States' 3-2 victory sent Portugal crashing out of the tournament and the U.S. advanced all the way to the quarterfinals.
Group A:
Neymar has once again saved the day. For a second time, an excited young fan - this one named Bernard - couldn’t contain his excitement at the sight of the Brazlian superstar and tried to run onto the pitch to meet his favorite player. The eight-year-old was intercepted by security and was being hauled away before Neymar saw the incident and ran over to save little Bernard. Neymar brought him back to the pitch where the youngster had a photo with Neymar, Thiago Silva, Marcelo and David Luiz and others. Here is that video, along with a video of the first time Neymar showed his heroism.
Starting June 12th, the world will watch 64 matches take place in 12 cities across South America’s biggest country. We at The18 decided to create a "what you need to know" guide to FIFA World Cup 2014 for new footy fans - or, let's be honest, for avid footy fans who are tired of answering questions about rules and tournament format in the middle of every match from less experienced friends and family members. You know who you are.